Hello Vietnam

For another song with the identical English title written by Marc Lavoine and recorded by Vietnamese-Belgian singer Quynh Anh, see Bonjour Vietnam (song).
"Hello Vietnam"
Single by Johnnie Wright
from the album Hello Vietnam
B-side "Mexico City"
Released 1965
Genre Country
Label Decca
Writer(s) Tom T. Hall
Producer(s) Owen Bradley
Johnnie Wright singles chronology
"Blame It on the Moonlight"
(1965)		 "Hello Vietnam"
(1965)		 "Keep the Flag Flying"
(1965)

"Hello Vietnam" is the title of a song written by Tom T. Hall and recorded by American country music singer Johnnie Wright. It spent twenty weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart with three weeks at number one. The single, with backing vocals from Wright's wife, Kitty Wells, was Wright's most successful release on the U.S. country music chart as a solo singer. His singing partner from Johnnie and Jack, Jack Anglin, was killed in a car accident in March 1963.

Content

Somewhat unusual for this song's success was the fact that the song openly (and uncharacteristically) supported the Vietnam War effort, as the song's spoken third verse by Wright indicated:

“ I hope and pray someday the world will learn, that fires we don't put out will bigger burn. We must save freedom now at any cost...or someday our own freedom will be lost. ”

Wright's popularity of the song came at a time when war protest songs dominated pop music charts and when public support for the war eroded.[1] The song was used as the opening theme in the film Full Metal Jacket.

Chart performance

Chart (1965) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 1

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 398.
Preceded by
"Behind the Tear"
by Sonny James		 Billboard Hot Country Singles
number-one single
October 23-November 6, 1965 		Succeeded by
"Behind the Tear"
by Sonny James